7 Tips for Kick-Butt Blog Writing

Far different from book or other formal writing, writing for a blog requires its own specific set of skills. And once you’ve got them down pat, you’ll be able to produce sparkling, original, copy that will keep your readers coming back for more. There are tons of books and sites devoted to writing great content, but unless you’re someone who really struggles with writing a complete sentence, it really boils to some basic principles.  And even if you already know all this, it’s always a good idea to get a reminder and re-evaluate your writing to make sure you’re not falling back into bad habits.

Here are the seven most essential things that every blogger needs to know:

1. Keep it short - Learn the skill of brevity. Your readers will love you for it. It can take time to develop the art of saying more in fewer words, but it’s worth it. Keep sentences short, paragraphs tight, and articles at a reasonable length. Make your point, repeat it, then leave it. Short, succinct sentences look appealing to a reader when they scan your page. This means they will keep the window open and take a look at what you have to say.

2. Bite-sized nuggets - Break your content into nice, digestible pieces. As a general rule of thumb, paragraphs written for the web shouldn’t be longer than four of five sentences. Ever heard of the popular web abbreviation “TLDR”? This stands for “too long, didn’t read.” Readers scan web pages, rather than reading them carefully, such as they would a book or newspaper. Make your content look short and readable and you will stand a better chance of keeping your reader’s attention.

3. Subheadings - Put the most important points, keyword and phrases in bold subheadings. This helps to catch the eye of readers skimming over your page. Subheadings are where people “land” on a website. Each subheading should introduce a kind of “mini article.”  Take advantage of subheadings to make readers stay on your page for longer.

4. Leave them wanting - The number one trick to making a profit from web writing is to leave readers wanting just a little bit more. Introduce the problem, offer some solutions, but don’t completely solve it. That is what your next link, next post, or targeted ads are for. Learning the skill of leaving the problem a little bit open is the best skill you can develop.

5. Offer something original - Why should readers choose your blog over someone else’s? Offer them something original, and they’ll make that choice. Figure out how you can tap into a niche and how you will be able to offer a unique angle. If you are an expert in a field, use that to your advantage. Any topic that you are passionate about is a good place to start. This way you can deliver readers heartfelt, knowledgeable advice that doesn’t just repeat what someone else is saying.

6. Watch your adverbs and adjectives - Any writing teacher will tell you that you need to eliminate your writing of adverbs and adjectives. Blog writing is no exception! There is a place for them, but most of the time they tell the reader nothing. They are empty words which don’t say anything, yet they do take up plenty of space. Consider the sentence, “This product is really rather quite good.” What does that mean? If you mean good, then that’s what you should write. Keep your writing simple, active, and powerful.

7. Use a professional yet casual tone - There is a careful balance that needs to be struck. Write informally, but don’t litter your blog posts with careless grammar mistakes, messy formatting or text speak. Not only does this look ugly, readers will wonder why they should trust you to tell them anything. Want to be an authority on a topic? Keep your readers coming back? Write in a professional tone that gives them a good impression.

Follow these tips, and you’ll take your blog to the next level.  Or at least be on your way to keeping your content clean and readable.  Do you have other tips and tricks for great writing?  Be sure to share with us in the comments!

Review: Blog Writing Service - Water My Blog?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me. All opinions are 100% mine.

So you have a business, your website is going strong, and you’re working on your SEO and other marketing to get more traffic to your site and take your business to the next level.  You’ve heard that everyone needs to have a blog.  You’ve heard about all the benefits of blogging, from delivering valuable content to your users, customers, subscribers, etc. to improving your search engine rankings.  You’re sold on the benefits, but where are you going to find the time to crank out regular blog posts?  After all, one of the things you’ve learned is that the key to blogging successfully is providing quality content on a consistent basis.

This is the dilemma for a lot of people.  Blogging is a tremendous tool for your business, but it takes a focused effort and a lot of time that many of us just don’t have.  Add to that the fact that many people just aren’t writers and have a hard time coming up with interesting topics much less presenting them in an effective way, and it can all seem very overwhelming.  Well, fear not!  There is a solution to all these challenges, and it’s an easy, affordable solution that you can implement immediately.

Introducing WaterMyBlog.com
WaterMyBlog is a blog writing service like no other.  While it’s popular to hire virtual assistants, freelancers and ghost writers to fill blogging needs, all of those are missing a key element.  They’ll provide regular content, and it might even be written very well, but what are the chances these sources are SEO experts?  Pretty slim.  That’s what makes WaterMyBlog.com different.  This service provides quality blog posts based around your chosen key words, written in a way that serves to greatly enhance your SEO efforts.

How it works
Getting started with WaterMyBlog.com is easy.  First, you’ll provide them with the key words (5-10) you want to optimize for.  This is of course very important, because these words (topics) will end up being the focus of the blog posts they write.  If you need help determining the best key words to rank for, they have SEO experts on staff to help you out.  Next, they connect their software to your blog.  It works with all the popular blogging platforms, so no worries there.  This gives them the ability to directly upload your blog posts once they’re approved.  Once their software is integrated, their researchers get busy using their news aggregators to create a plan that will ensure your blog is relevant to readers and to the search engines.  After the research is done, all that’s left is writing your posts.  The writers at WaterMyBlog.com are called Gardeners, and they will use the information they’ve learned from the news aggregators to create quality, SEO-relevant posts, which will be submitted to you for approval.  If you want changes, you can edit the post yourself or ask for the changes you want.  Once it’s done to your satisfaction, your post will automatically be posted to your site.  It’s that easy!  You’ve saved tons of time while reaping all the benefits of adding outstanding blog content to your site.  And the pricing for all this is outstanding.  You’ll pay no more than $13 per post!  They also have some great promotions running right now, like a one-month free trial!

While they aren’t the solution I’d recommend for pro bloggers who make their living off their blog, WaterMyBlog.com is a great solution for anyone with a primary product or service looking to add a blogging component.  So if you understand all the benefits of adding a blog to your site but haven’t had the time to do it, or if you’re already blogging but are looking for an inexpensive way to free up all the time it’s taking you, OR if you just want to make sure your blogging efforts are paying off with proper SEO, take a look at WaterMyBlog.com.

5 Tips to Finally Get Your Blog Making Money

It seems everyone has a blog these days, and that is in no way a bad thing.  After all, you need one.  Whether it’s connected to your product or service business or your blog itself is your primary source of income, there isn’t anyone who can’t benefit from blogging.  For those who are trying to make a living blogging, there are a lot of things you can do to get your blog making money.  What we’re focusing on today aren’t sources of income, like affiliate programs or selling e-books.  Instead, we’re presenting steps you can take to make sure those sources pay off for you.  No matter what you’re doing to make money with your blog, these are five things you’d be wise to do to optimize those efforts:

1. Don’t quit. This is the first rule of success, and it’s the first rule for being successful with your blog.  If you browse the web looking for interesting blogs, you’ll be amazed at the number of decent blogs with good design and solid content with no posts for the past six months or more.  These are undoubtedly the blogs of people who had great intentions starting out and didn’t see results as quickly as they had hoped, so they quit.  Chances are, these bloggers had unrealistic expectations about how long it takes to see results from a blog.  Sure, there are sites out there telling you that it’s possible to make $100k a year starting next week, but the truth is it takes consistent, steady effort over a considerable period of time to really make a good living blogging.  So if you aren’t willing to put in the work, don’t start.  But if you are, then keep at it.  The last thing you want to do is quit just before you hit the tipping point and your blog really takes off!

2. Collaborate. Trying to be a “one-man show” isn’t always a good idea.  Chances are you’re really good at one or two things and not as good at others.  So rather than having a blog with outstanding design and lame content, or great content that no one ever sees because you don’t know how to market, why not team up with one or more other bloggers?  True, a collaborative effort means sharing the profits, but your profits will be many-fold greater if your blog is at its best.  So consider collaborating and make your blog - and your bank account - all it can be!

3. Don’t get all weird. Creativity is great, and sometimes out-of-the-box thinking is commendable.  But when it comes to optimizing your blog earnings, keep in mind what your readers are used to.  No one wants to have to learn a new way of weeding through your information.  For the most part, people want your logo in the top left, and your sidebar on the right, and when it comes to buying your product or supporting your sponsors, they want a smooth, easy, simple transaction.  So keep it simple and as close to normal as possible, and save the creativity for your content.  You’ll keep your readers happy and reap the rewards!

4. Market like it’s your job. When it comes to marketing, there’s no such thing as too much.  To monetize your blog, you need traffic, and you won’t get that traffic without marketing.  Utilize Twitter, Facebook, and other Social Media outlets, make sure your SEO is ship-shape, and spend as much as you can afford on PPC.  A word of advice first though: Educate yourself on these tools!  This is especially important for anything that’s costing you money.  Losing money on a failed PPC campaign can lead to wanting to do what point #1 above warns against!  Once you learn the right way to do it (and learn it fast so you don’t waste all your time learning and not doing), pretend marketing is your job.  Treat it like your living depends on it.  Because it does!

5. Begin! So many people say they want to start a blog and go on and on researching but never actually do it.  Whatever’s holding you back, get over it and start your blog.  If you’ve started but haven’t taken the steps to monetize, get off your butt and take those steps now.  The very worst that can happen is you “fail” and end up learning in the process.  Entrepreneurship, whether it’s a blog, a product or service site, or a brick and mortar business, is not without risk.  But the rewards are so fantastic that they far outweigh any perceived risk.  So in the words of Nike, “Just Do It!”

6 Tips for Blogging Noobs

When you’re first getting started with blogging or thinking about starting a blog, that’s the time to learn how to do it right.  You don’t want to try and reinvent the wheel only to find out there was a much easier way.  The following tips cover a wide range of topics and will help you get your blog going right, avoiding a lot of frustration in the future.

1.  Be the blog. Write about a topic that’s true to who you are.  Don’t try to pretend you’re something you’re not.  Not only will you enjoy what you’re doing more, but your audience will appreciate it.  People can sniff out a fake from a mile away.  There are so called “gurus” out there who will tell you to “fake it till you make it” and to present yourself as already successful even though you’re just starting out.  You might be an expert in your chosen field, but if you’ve just started your business, don’t be afraid to tell it like it is.  You’ll feel better about what you’re writing, and you’ll inspire others who are interested in starting their own businesses.

2.  Back up your blog. This is definitely not a lesson you want to learn the hard way.  From the very beginning, and for as long as you have a blog, duplicate the files on your server in at least one other location.  It’s a good idea to have a duplicate directory on your desktop as well as on a portable device, like a flash drive.  It only takes one loss of your valuable information due to a server crash or human error to wish you had heeded this advice.  Speaking of which…

3.  Find a great hosting provider. Hosting providers are a dime a dozen, and many are priced as such.  In some cases, their service and performance are good, despite their low prices.  In other cases, you’re sacrificing what’s most important for a low price.  So how do you know which provider is best for you?  Research.  Look at online reviews, and ask around.  Ask other bloggers and site owners who they use and trust.  Which brings us to our next tip…

4.  Ask for help and advice from other bloggers. Don’t be bashful or intimidated (or too proud) when it comes to asking for advice.  Put yourself in the shoes of a blogger you admire.  What would you think of someone new in your industry coming to you for advice?  Would you think you’re too important to be bothered?  Hopefully you wouldn’t.  In fact if you became a popular blogger, it wouldn’t be because you had that kind of an attitude.  Of course, you’re not going to get in-depth personal coaching for free, but asking a question is perfectly reasonable.  So get help and advice.  It’s a great way to shorten the learning curve, and you’ll make some great connections in the process.

5. Follow and comment on other blogs. Showing your support for other bloggers by leaving meaningful, thoughtful comments is important for a lot of reasons.  First, you learn a lot by reading other blogs, and the comments that go with them.  Secondly, it’s a great marketing technique.  You get to link to your blog when you leave a comment, so you’ll get some traffic from it.  And third, the bloggers you’re commenting on are more likely to check out your blog and return the favor.  For more information on comment marketing, see our recent post on the topic.

6.  Know your audience, and provide them with outstanding content. More than any other tip or trick you can learn, this is ultimately what will make the difference between a successful blog and one that never takes off.  It’s the same if you own a restaurant, sell software, or write a blog:  If you give people what they want, they keep coming back.  So stay connected with your audience though social media, the comments on your blog and by participating in forums and comments on other blogs.  Listen to what people are saying and address their wants and needs in a way that’s thoughtful, entertaining, and most of all, true to your style.

Of course, above all else, it’s important to just get started.  If you wait until you feel like everything is just right, you’ll never make anything happen.  So get going with your blog and tweak as you go.  And as you do, follow these tips, and you’ll be a blogging superstar before you know it!

Don’t Let Negative Feedback Bring You Down

It’s an integral part of doing business and sooner or later you are going to come across it as well if you are an aspiring entrepreneur. Negative feedback can strike at the heart, especially if you are proud of the work that you do, as hopefully you are! It’s important to understand that, as much as anything else due to the law of averages, you are going to come across someone who is displeased with what you do for one reason or another. This does not have to be a client either, it can be someone who takes a completely polar opposite view to a post you may have placed on your company blog. This person will vent about her interpretation in the comments section and may cause your day to become rather unpleasant, quite quickly.

It’s important not to get too upset and to let these things become blown out of all proportion. If you express opinions within the articles that you write, the blogs you post or even the direct content within your webpages, then you must realize that other people will have different points of view. Some people choose to air these differences rather vocally and forcefully, while others are more tactful and subtle. As the old saying goes, it takes all types to make a world and you’re not going to be able to agree with everyone, no matter what you do or say.

If you receive negative feedback as a consequence of your work – maybe some articles that you have written or design projects you have undertaken – then you must analyze the situation. Most of us are taken aback by negative feedback and our natural reaction may be denial or disagreement. Never, under any circumstances, immediately fire back a reply to this person, most especially if he or she is a client, without calmly reviewing the circumstances! It doesn’t matter how nasty the negative feedback can be, you must compose a professional and well thought out response.

Try and understand where the person is coming from. Be honest with yourself as well and own up if you are in the wrong. Don’t be tempted to come up with any number of lame excuses or even made up responses, as even though you may feel justified, you should couch your response professionally and appropriately. Where possible, offer to make amends and in the case of a client, go out of your way to smooth things over as best you can.

It’s quite possible that you will receive some negative feedback and have no idea why this should be the case. Sometimes the person at the other end has their own agenda, a particular issue, or is just having a bad day. They may be choosing to vent their feelings at you or your organization and this is just unfortunate. Don’t be tempted to get into a “catfight” especially in a public forum such as blog commenting. Try and resolve criticism and move on in these cases.

To be a successful entrepreneur you need to have the skin of a rhinoceros and must not let negative feedback get you down. Always have pride in your work and pay attention to detail and the chances are that this kind of feedback will be few and far between.

Do you have a way of dealing with negative feedback?

Matthew Toren

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